In the ongoing #MeToo movement, actress Kritika Sharma has accused casting director Vicky Sidana of attempting rape when the latter called her to Mumbai. Kritika was told that she was shortlisted for a film after auditioning for the role in Delhi in 2013.
The actress first met Vicky in Delhi where she had gone for a film audition near Mandi House area in 2013. She was asked to enact a scene which had a lot of abusive words. She found it difficult to mouth the words at that time.
Later, she was asked to come to Mumbai and called Vicky to help her find an accommodation. The casting director had promised her to find a place with his female friends in the city. Soon after Kritika landed in Mumbai, she went to Vicky's office directly from the airport.
"I was sitting there - he walks up to me and the first question he threw at me was agar mai teri help karta hu, toh mujhe kya milega (If I help you, what will I get in return). I understood what he's trying to ask me. I said obviously if I become a known person in the industry - people will automatically get to know you cast me for this. He was like tu uski chinta mat kar - mera naam bahut hai already usko tu bhool ja - tu mujhe ye bata tu mere liye kya kar sakti hai (You don't worry about it - I am already famous. You just forget that and tell me what can you do for me). He didn't get a reply from me," Kritika told Zoom TV,
Kritika said that Vicky told her that his female friends had backtracked and that he would host her at his residence. She agreed to stay at Vicky's house as the latter had said that he was married and his wife will be at home.
While on the way, Vicky made comments on her breast saying, "Tu bahut skinny hai, you don't have boobs, how will you work in the industry." Later, when they reached Vicky's home, he offered her vodka and when she refused, he told her that it is important to drink and smoke if she wants to survive in the industry.
"He comes with a whiskey peg and asks me to drink it and the wife is also looking at me. I told him I don't drink. He said aise kaise acting mei aapko cigarette bhi peena padta hai, daaru bhi peena padta hai, acting mei toh ye sab karna padta hai. Ye toh peena padega, iske bina toh acting nahi hogi. I took a sip and I said aur nahi hoga and I am not used to the taste," Kritika said.
Next day, Vicky took her to a building on the pretext of meeting director Luv Ranjan's assistant only to find that there was no meeting and no one was there. And it was this time when Vicky attempted to rape Kritika in the room.
Narrating the details of the harrowing incident, "I had a flight that day around 4-4:40.. So he takes me to this place. He parked his bike outside some society and he asked me to wait there. I saw he went inside the building and someone came out and they shook hands. And then this guy said that the meeting is happening upstairs, let's go. We go into the house, he shuts the door and I realise that there's no meeting and no one's there. Suddenly this guy pushes me on the bed, pulls down my pants and tries to force himself on me. I kept saying let me go, let me go. He did not stop."
She added, "I was continuously telling him that I did not come here for this - I am not willing to sleep with people for work and you called me, I came here with a trust. Something hit his mind and he backed out at the last moment and said that auto leke chali ja flight hai teratoh. I took the auto and went to the airport."
When Vicky was asked about the allegations levelled against him, he said that he will soon issue an official statement on the matter.
